Mozart: Don Giovanni.

* Rey Bartoli, Nikiteanu; Sacca, Gilfry, Widmer, Polgar, Salminen; Chorus and Orchestra of Opernhaus Zurich, Harnoncourt, 2001. Arthaus Musik DVD 100329, 187 mins. (dist. Naxos)

Mozart and da Ponte labeled Don Giovanni a "dramma giocoso"--a fact that seems to have eluded both conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt and stage director Jurgen Flimm in this Zurich production. Their vision of the work is unrelentingly grim, with nary a ray of sunshine either in Erich Wonder's austere, angular scenic designs or in the orchestra's pallid, vibra-to-less playing. The singers mostly follow suit, with characterizations that veer toward the extreme. Bartoli turns Elvira's entrance aria ("Ah! chi mi dice mai"), for example, from an expression of frustration and anger into a portrait of a woman who has become utterly unhinged. She makes some surprisingly inelegant sounds as a result, though she regains her dignity later in the act, and much of her subsequent singing is glorious.

The direction aims at underlining the characters' various obsessions. Thus, Donna Anna carries around her father's bloodied nightshirt under her dress, and Giovanni is not merely a pleasure-loving Lothario but a psychopathic sex addict. Granted, the Don has a sadistic streak, but here he lacks any charm whatsoever. In fact, ...